Benedict Arnold: Before They Went Bad

02/08/23 • 41 min

5 Listeners

Before his name became synonymous with treason, Benedict Arnold was a bonafide hero of the American Revolutionary War. At critical moments Arnold inspired the Patriots with his grit and determination and earned the admiration of George Washington. Despite his popularity and battlefield prowess, Benedict Arnold eventually broke bad. Mo talks with author Nathaniel Philbrick about the now-notorious military man’s twisty path to betrayal - and explores the surprising backstories of other villains including France’s Philippe Pétain and Satan.

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Mobituaries with Mo Rocca - Benedict Arnold: Before They Went Bad

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:02.439

We take it for granted, but American independence was not a foregone conclusion. The Revolutionary War was long, more than six grinding years between the first shots at Lexington and Conquered and the British surrender at Yorktown, and they all too oft an unpaid, ill equipped, underfed patriots were almost always playing defense, one battle away from total defeat and the very real risk of capital punishment as traitors to the crown. Father of his